Abstract: Stents useable for treating venous stenosis are disclosed. In embodiments, a stent is configured to be auxetic, expanding axially as it is expanded radially, to prevent the imposition of tension on portions of a blood vessel adjacent to the stented portion of the blood vessel, and thereby prevent a narrowing of the adjacent portions and improving luminal gain. The stent may include one or more cross members that are deformable axially, to allow the axial length of the stent to be adjusted while maintaining a constant diameter, and further to allow the stent to be curved to conform to vessel curvature.

Abstract: An impact printer has a print band moving longitudinally around pulleys with one side of the band moving in contact along a rigid platen and the other side having engraved characters presented along a print line of a print medium (e.g. paper and ink ribbon). The leading edge of platen is squared off (e.g. sharp) to scrape contamination off the band. A row of hammers impact the print medium against the band between the hammers and an impact surface of the platen. The impact surface of the platen contains multiple longitudinal grooves which start slightly back from the leading edge of the platen and which prevent increased friction force between the band and platen from occurring as the band wears the platen impact surface smooth.

Abstract: A device for handling compact discs which can hold the compact disc either at its outer edge or at its aperture edge. The device includes first and second opposing arms. Each arm having a free end, a groove portion adjacent the free end for receiving the outer edge of a disc and a group portion adjacent the free end for receiving the inner edge of a disc.